Alexander Isak has told Newcastle that he wants to leave in the summer transfer window after he has played his head through the questions of Liverpool – and now his future will be decided
Alexander Isak has become public with his desire to leave Newcastle this summer after he had turned his head out of Liverpool by interest. The 25-year-old striker has been omitted from the Newcastle team for their pre-season tour and has become the biggest story in the summer transfer window.
Isak is perhaps the best striker in the Premier League and last season scored 23 times in the top flight for Newcastle. He has left for three years to his current contract with Newcastle, but is clearly unhappy with his situation on Tyneside – despite what Eddie Howe says.
The Sweden International has become public with his desire to 'explore opportunities' in the transfer market after being irritated with its status at Newcastle. He scored 62 goals in 109 games since he came to Real Sociedad in August 2022 for £ 63 million, which underlines his status as one of the best in the industry.
Yet he currently gets around £ 120,000 a week through the Magpies and he knows that he could achieve much more elsewhere. He reportedly demanded £ 300,000 a week to sign a new contract with Newcastle, which should crush their wage structure to make that happen, with Bruno Guimaraes the highest earner at £ 160,000 a week at the moment.
On the one hand, Newcastle is under little pressure to sell Isak, because they are in line with the profit and sustainability rules and he has been contracted for another three years. But keeping an unfortunate player is loaded with complications and they are reportedly only prepared to give him £ 200,000 a week.
That is the first option of Isak: signing a new contract with Newcastle and spending at least another season there while they start a different season in the Champions League. At the moment, however, that does not seem likely.
His second option is Liverpool, who inquired last week about the availability of Isak before he signed Hugo Ekitike and remains interested. The Reds have £ 265 million splashed on transfers this summer, but still have money in the bank to spend on Isak, thanks to their quiet summer of 2024, Premier League prize and assets they can sell.
It would need a record transfer of more than £ 125 million to make it happen, but with Darwin Nunez, Luis Diaz and Harvey Elliott available for selling, it could happen. Isak is supposed to give preference to a move to Anfield, where he could play in a new look attack next to Ekitike, Mohamed Salah and Florian Wirtz.
The third option of Isak is one that has been considered in recent years by many Premier League stars: moving to Saudi Arabia. With Newcastle owned by the Saudi -Arabia Public Investment Fund, that Avenue seems to be open.
Saudi Pro League-Kant Al-Hilal is said to be able to offer stunning wages of around £ 500,000 a week after taxes. The club has already lured Aleksandar Mitrovic, Joao Canneo, Ruben Neves and Kalidou Koulibaly with their lucrative offers in the past, but Isak would represent an even greater coup.
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“Yes, I have had conversations with him, but that is not abnormal,” said Howe in the weekend after the Celtic no-show. “I respect the career of a player and how short it is. Alex has been really good, he is really well trained and I realize that there will be noise around him.”
That sound will not disappear until the future of Isak has been decided. His preference is clear. Now the ball is at the court of Liverpool.